


For You, I Will

by Taimat



Series: Collegestuck [3]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-19
Updated: 2011-10-19
Packaged: 2017-10-24 18:49:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/266697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taimat/pseuds/Taimat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Choosing dorms. John has some ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For You, I Will

It’s late in the evening, just past dinnertime, and John’s starting to get sleepy. Karkat, of course, is just fine, and those yellow eyes are scanning the page in front of him as John sprawls on his belly on the floor, thankful that he’d remembered to tidy up a bit before the troll came over. The window is cracked to let in the summer air, which isn’t completely miserable in this part of the country.

“I kind of want to stay in the quad. Think about it. All of the dorms are connected underground! And there are TVs and video games and all sorts of cool things down there! And there’s this awesome courtyard thing… Where do you want to stay, Karkat?”

The troll sighs and gives him a look that clearly says he thinks John’s an idiot, and it might have hurt were John not so used to it by now.  
“John,” he points to a building on the other side of campus, “These are the only dorms that have recuperacoons.”

“Oh.” John’s face falls, and Karkat can see him thinking much too hard.

Sometimes John forgets. Forgets that this new planet is Earth…but not really. It’s the little things, here and there. Like having recuperacoon dorms at the colleges. Concessions for the trolls that wouldn’t have been on the “real” Earth. Almost like the planet expects there to be more trolls to accommodate for, or something. And how none of the other humans here seem to think that the trolls’ existence is strange at all, and it’s only those of them who played the game who realize that anything’s different. John thinks that maybe it’s because they created this world, and they wouldn’t have left the trolls out of it for anything.

But back to more pressing matters… “Do you…do you think you really need one?”

“John—”

“Don’t the piles help and stuff? That’s what you did in the veil, right? Could you do that again?”

Karkat covers his eyes with one hand and groans. “Why the fuck are you so insistent? Does it even matter which dorm I’m in? We’re going to the same damn school.”

“Well, I, um…” The troll leans closer in order to hear John’s mumbling. “I kinda hoped we could room together. You know, if you wanted to.”

John reasons to himself that it’s because Karkat is his best friend. That he’s gotten used to spending so much time with the troll, and he just wants to keep doing so. That’s perfectly normal, right?

Whenever Karkat visits - which is often - he never spends the night. John thinks this is a shame, because sleepovers are where all the fun things happen. Like movie marathons. (Which they’ve done before.) And eating too much junk food. (Which they’ve also done before.) And, um…staying up way too late! (Which they’ve _also_ done before, and Karkat went home in the early hours of the morning.)

John frowns. Sleepovers are good for plenty of sleepover-only things to do! (Like hoping you get to see Karkat undress? Like watching him fall sleep? Like listening to the sound of his breathing as you do the same?)

He hopes Karkat can’t see his blush as he props his chin in his hands, trying to hide his cheeks. Sleepovers are good for plenty of sleepover-only _best-friend-zone_ things to do.

(Like what?)

 _Oh, shut up._

Karkat’s blinking at him, his eyes finally starting to show a little of the brilliant red that they’ll one day be, now a muddy sort of cherry color, and John smiles to himself at the warm feeling that floods him. “As much as I like you, John, I don’t think I want to spend an entire year sleeping in a pile.”

“But what if it’s a really nice pile? Made of blankets and pillows and fluffy things?” He’s trying not to get his hopes up. He knows that Karkat would probably be better off in a recuperacoon. But if there’s any part of the troll at all that wants to room with John, then he’s going to try. He’s going to try to make this happen.

~~~~~~~

There’s another sigh, and Karkat lets the paper fall. “I guess…if you think you can’t possibly take care of yourself and you’ll need me around to deal with your sorry pink ass…”

John laughs and shoves at his friend, sending the shorter teen rocking to the side. He doesn’t attempt to get up, content to lie there and smirk at John. John tries to ignore the flip-flopping of his stomach. “Yeah, you got me. I _need_ you, Karkat.” He bats his eyelashes rapidly, and Karkat lets out a huff that’s a little more airy than usual.

“Hey…” The human inches over and stares down at him. “Do you trust me?” John thinks he’s imagining the way Karkat’s breath catches, but he’s definitely sure that the troll’s gaze is full of confusion.

“What?” he manages to croak out after a moment.

“Do you trust me?”

It feels like they’re talking about something else here, and Karkat’s face is completely serious when he answers. “Yeah.”

John lets go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding and giggles a bit. “Then sign up.”

“Fine, fuckass. I’ll sleep in a gogdamned pile. Just for you.” Karkat growls and turns his face away, looking for all the world like he’s pouting.

“Hey, maybe we could try different things? Find a solution other than piles? Think it’s worth a try?”

Karkat continues to mope dramatically, and John pokes him.

“Come on, you said you trusted me! How about…spending the night tonight? We can give it a trial run!”

The troll’s body tenses, and John starts to reconsider what he’s doing. If the nightmares are really that bad, then it can’t be fair for him to ask Karkat to deal with them for his sake. Maybe he should—

“Okay.”

John blinks, having kind of forgotten that he’d asked Karkat to make the decision. “Really?”

“Yeah, Egbert. I trust you. Let’s do this.” Karkat turns back to face him, his eyes bright and clear, and John’s stomach flip-flops some more.

“Where making this happen.”

Karkat laughs and shoves him over.

~~~~~~~

The first night isn’t so bad. John makes up a pile on the floor of every blanket and pillow he can find, except for the one that’s on his sleeping bag, and Karkat just shakes his head in amusement before submerging himself within it.

John’s worries keep him up for a while, but eventually, he finds himself waking to bright sunlight. Karkat’s staring at him drowsily from across the floor, and John smiles at him while the troll untangles himself.

With some convincing, John gets Karkat to stay a second night. He hopes that if they can keep the nightmares away for enough nights in a row, then maybe Karkat will get used to it somehow and stop having them altogether.

The freedom of summer stretches Karkat’s stay on and on, but eventually, John starts to notice that something’s off.

Karkat moves more slowly. Stares into space more often. Collapses into his pile a little harder every night. Realization finally dawns in John’s eyes, and at the end of the week, he gathers up Karkat’s pile from the floor and dumps the entire thing on his own bed, leaving the troll blinking at him in confusion, standing in the middle of the room in his pajamas and looking lost.

“What are you—”

John holds up a hand, staring Karkat down, and it’s probably his confusion that keeps him silent more than anything else. John uses it to his advantage.

“Have you even been sleeping at all?”

It’s only because they’ve spent so much time together than John can tell grumpy Karkat from guilty-and-grumpy Karkat. This is the latter.

“What were you planning on doing? Never sleeping in your dorm and sneaking off to someone else’s recuperacoon whenever you could?”

Karkat continues to look guilty.

“I thought you trusted me, Karkat.”

That gets his attention, and the troll looks up, expression one of hurt. “I do trust you, John. I don’t trust myself.”

“You…what?”

“What if I end up attacking you in the middle of the night? John, I couldn’t…I can’t… I won’t.”

John steps close. Maybe a little too close, but they’re best bros. It’s okay. “They’re really that bad? The nightmares.”

“Yeah.” Karkat’s voice is a bit rough, and he won’t meet John’s eyes anymore.

The human steels himself for what he’s about to do, certain that this is the way it has to be. He grips the troll by the shoulders and spins him around, shoving him gently toward the bed and its pile of soft, fluffy things.

“In.”

He’s a little taken aback by how easily Karkat complies. He’d been expecting more complaining.

Karkat settles himself in, surrounded by fabric and feathers, and John breathes deep and crawls onto the bed next to him.

“What are you doing?” There’s just a hint of panic in Karkat’s voice, and John hopes that he’s not messing up their entire relationship. But he’s determined that this is going to work. It has to.

“John, you can’t! You can’t sleep here! What if I hurt you!?”

John takes one of Karkat’s hands in his own, silencing the protests when the troll looks down at where they’re touching. “You won’t. I trust you.”

“John, I—”

“Go to sleep, Karkat. I’ll be here.”

Karkat swallows, his eyes wide, but then he bites his lip and squeezes John’s hand gently, nodding. “See you in the morning, then.”

John closes his eyes, listening to Karkat’s breath as he drifts off. He knows that his friend is probably going to stay awake all night, but he has to try this. He has to give Karkat the opportunity. He hopes that Karkat will take it.

~~~~~~~

Sometime early in the morning, while it’s still dark outside, John wakes with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. A feeling that something is…off.

Then he realizes that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on his hand, and his eyes dart quickly over the body next to him.

John’s initial joy and surprise that Karkat had, apparently, actually fallen asleep is countered by the look on his face. His entire frame is tense, mouth open to let out soft little whines, and he shudders, his grip tightening every time.

John doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t want to wake the troll abruptly, just in case he does lash out, but shaking him gently does absolutely nothing. The boy reaches forward and presses a palm to Karkat’s cheek, feeling the dampness of his skin, and he whispers his friend’s name softly.

And then Karkat makes a nose in his throat. A barely-there noise. Something like a chirp or a trill. And it’s distressed and lonely and wanting in a way that makes John gasp, and his body moves of its own accord. He draws as close as he can, pressing himself against the smaller length of the troll, trapping their joined hands between them. One ankle hooks around Karkat’s, and their foreheads touch as John settles in, glad that he’s grown tall enough to wrap around Karkat like this.

“I’m here. You’re okay.”

He doesn’t know if it’s his voice or his actions or maybe just his presence that causes it, but Karkat’s trembling stills, his breathing slows, and John congratulates himself on a job well done. And if Karkat nudges a little closer in his sleep, well, that’s definitely a plus.

Yeah, he’s pretty much the best friend ever.

~~~~~~~

Karkat wakes before John, and it takes him a moment to remember where he is. He starts to shift and look around when he realizes that he’s wrapped up not only in sheets, but in long arms and legs. John’s breath ruffles his hair on every exhale, and Karkat freezes and assesses the situation.

He’s in John’s bed, with John. That happened last night. He knew about that. Okay, next.

He’s…very, very close to John. That must have happened sometime last night, too, but he definitely wasn’t aware of it. Must have been an accident. He can deal with this.

He’s also…quite well-rested. This is new.

The troll heaves a contented sigh and smiles just a little bit, settling in to fall back to sleep. Maybe sharing a bed wasn’t a completely terrible idea after all.

 _It’s about time, John._


End file.
